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CUNY SPH is saddened to report that alumna Michelle Montgomery has passed away at the age of 50 after a four-year battle with osteosarcoma.
Michelle was a public health champion who, since 2000, served on the staff of CAMBA, a Flatbush-based non-profit that connects residents with opportunities to enhance their quality of life.
She earned her MPH in epidemiology and biostatistics from CUNY SPH in 2012, working closely with Associate Professor Elizabeth Kelvin to publish her class paper from Applied Research (now EPID 622) on the mental health of immigrants to the U.S. Together with Dr. Kelvin, she also reworked her master’s essay for publication on a cyst-level analysis to assess where albendazole treatment has the greatest impact on the evolution of Taenia solium parasite larva when located in the human brain.
“Michelle was an amazing person, an excellent student, and did important work in public health working at CAMBA,” says Dr. Kelvin. “We’re so sad to hear this news.”
Graduating from high school as valedictorian in 1992, Michelle entered the University Scholars Program at Pennsylvania State University, earning degrees with honors in psychology and English in 1996. She went on to work in a residential facility for young people experiencing mental health challenges.
In 1997, Michelle moved to New York City to attend Columbia University, where she earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in nonfiction writing. During her time at Columbia, Michelle worked at the Columbia University Oral History Research Office on a project documenting the voices and experiences of doctors who cared for patients during the early years of the AIDS crisis. The project culminated in the 2002 book AIDS Doctors: Voices from the Epidemic, co-authored by CUNY SPH Professor Emeritus Gerald Oppenheimer.
A memorial gathering is planned for the spring, according to Michelle’s obituary.
